My DH thinks my itinerary runs the trip!!!!!!

[IMADSNYLOVR]

OMG! I am already planning our December trip and my intinerary! I am paying extra close attention since we will be there 12-27 thru 1-2 and want to be sure we hit all of the spots we want to see! My DH said lets just go and have fun and see what we see!!! I can't believe it! he said it takes the fun out of it if we plan everything! Now I don't have a whistle and order everyone to the next attraction but I do think it's wise to have a plan. Especially since it's the busiest week of the year. We have four kids and we are bringing my parents for their first trip ever. I want to have a game plan. I am open for the plan having to be altered but am I crazy for wanting an itinerary??


Sarah

 

[IMADSNYLOVR]

OOPS! That should read "ruins the trip" I guess it works with "runs" though according to my DH! LOL!

Sarah

 

[kilee]

I think a game plan is always good. But I'm an overplanner. Anyhow, DH has requested that our next trip be more laid back which is going to mean less planning.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Sarah, I'm having the same problem with my DH. Since he hasn't been involved in any part of the planning, he doesn't realize how massive WDW is and that having an itinerary is important. He's a very spontaneous person, and so am I to an extent. But this vacation is different from any of the ones we've taken before. I just know that if I don't plan, we'll have regrets later on, especially with regards to crowds and restaurants we may not be able to get into if we don't have a PS.

I don't want to have every moment planned, that would be ridiculous. Right now I have our days broken down into morning/evening blocks with the restaurants we want to do penciled in. In between the morning and evening blocks, I've planned for going back to the resort to swim/rest. Now if there were only a way to convince him that this is all for the better.

 

[HollyJoy]

Now see, I'm with you!! I like to have a game plan. I know that we will HAVE to be flexible, and I plan to be. But I'd like to have a rough idea of which days we want to go to certain parks, what shows/rides we want to see, where we may want to eat. Believe me, I don't want to be stressing while we are there because we had to see a certain show before planned.. lol I think that in the end, he'll be happy that you did so much research and planning.. he just can't see it yet. He was excited that we got our tickets ordered for MVMCP today, but freaked a bit when he found out how much it was! LOL But, I reminded him that it would be more if we didn't plan in advance, and paid at the door (providing we could even get tickets then).

Keep on planning!

 

[cobbler]

Not planning would take all the fun out of it and what would we do if we couldn't plan

See I just break mine down into which parks on what days, where to put things like the xmas party and what times to have lunch and bfast and stuff like that.

 

[Robo]

I do a day-by-day itinerary for all our WDW trips. And have for 10 years.
These pages are passed around to all our friends at both our work-places to MUCH discussion and joking about how detailed they are.
But the truth is, I build them from PREVIOUS trips successes... they are filled with all the fun we learned from experience. I know WHEN to start a trip from one area to the next allowing for slow busses and missed boats.
I know what to take in the back-packs to keep in the lockers. What days we'll be in which parks so which PS's we'll need (to see Wishes from Ohana and similar events.)
We can be found comfortably-rocking on the side porch at FtW just as Wishes commences at MK on another evening (Just before taking-in the Hoop.)
We stroll from Fantasmic... to the boat to Boardwalk for Cappuccino... then its an easy walk to Epcot for Illuminations all on the same night.
We know how to see ALL of Spectromagic, ride both Splash Mt. and BTM and alight from both in time for Wishes... all no-hassle successes... due to KNOWING what HAS worked before... and REPEATING it!
I have actually re-printed my itinerary with minor changes due to current dates, and sent another couple on "our vacation."
Afterwards I received a wonderful and grateful day-by-day response as THEY enjoyed more of WDW than they ever could have without my using "type-A" planning.

Go ahead and PLAN... it will always make the magic more INTENSE... as you will always KNOW "what's next" while those around you are standing in gaggles of befuddled "tourists".

 

[jcemom]

Robo, want to plan my next trip for me? lol

I, too, like to have what I call a "flexible plan." We don't absolutely HAVE to do what's on the itinerary, but I think the entire trip goes much more smoothly when you know where and when to be somewhere!

 

[robinb]

Yikes!

You're going during the busiest time of the year. I know this for a fact since I will be there at the same time for my annual NYE trip .

Of course you need a plan. A very good plan. You need PS's for any sit down restaurant, especially on NYE itself. We like Teppanyaki Steakhouse in Epcot and Tony's in the MK for NYE. I joined Tour Guide Mike's website last year to help plan around the holiday crowds and his special plans really helped. The crowds were actually do-able . You'll love NYE at WDW!

 

[noseybuddy]

I have gone to Disney both ways, planning each day and not having a plan at all. The planning of the days worked best for us. We didn't waste time standing around asking each other what we wanted to do. That got on each others nerves after awhile. I think it is better to have a plan, you just get up, get ready and go. We will make a change here and there, but for the most part we follow the plan. If we did change the plan it was usually do to the weather conditions. When you have a plan you can get a lot done!

 

[McKelly]

My DH also thinks I plan too much. Today I made reservations for LTT during MVMCP, I then planned a rough itinerary for the rest of the week and showed it to him. I asked what he thought and if there were some things he would like to see or places he would like to dine that I didn't include and his response was Yes, you forget to schedule time for me to use the restroom. But that was not exactly what he said! Oh well, he can thank me later.

 

[Lora]

The first time I didn't make a fairly specific itinerary, I was totally lost! I felt so unprepared and it wasn't a good feeling. Usually I have all of the park hours and showtimes all on one paper and gather as much as I can from the entertainment schedules to set up my tentative plan. We are definitely flexible, but things always seem to go more smoothly when I have a specific list of attractions to do.

 

[sha_lyn]

My sister thought I was nuts for making out a planning, booking PS's etc for our trip together to WDW (my families 2nd trip, her
families 1st)

Later one of her employees told her she had said before the trip that she hoped I left enought time to pee ......
no my plan wasn't that detailed or strict I listed PS's and the area of each park we would cover at certain times of the day.

When we returned she told her employees that my plans were good and that we would have never seen all that we did without a plan.

 

[IMADSNYLOVR]

See-I KNEW I was right! LOL! As usual! He'd crab that we spent all that money and didn't see anything if I didn't plan!

 

[TwingleMum]

A plan is god but making everyone a slave to it isn't. Who wants to go on vacation with a drill sgt or a commando. Have your plan, keep it in your pocket and use it as a reference but if the older folks want to slow down or sleep in , let them. They soon will be hooked on the Disney magic and maybe soon like to help with the plans. If you overwhelm them too much they won't "get It". Ifyour knowledgable without being a nut about it everyone will be impressed not harassed. Going when you are you definately need PS for at least one meal a day. Although, I do agree planning is a large part of the fun. I've also found when I go at busy times of the year if I lower my expectations and try to be laid back I'm usually surprised at how much I accomplish and we usually comment to each other that "gee the crowds weren't so bad" Have a wonderful trip.

 

[wannabee princess]

From one Sara to another -

We aren't going the same week as you, but we are going in December, and I am also busy planning! My Dh thinks that I am obsessed with all things Disney, but last December he was the happy and relaxed vacationer thanks to my knowledge about Disney at Christmas - things I learned here at the DIS!

I plan a lot of "non-planned" time to appease his desire for not living by a schedule on vacation I try to leave at least every 3rd day as a "free" day. Of course, "free" day to me means that is the day we go mini golfing, swim, eat at the Boardwalk, go to DD!

I also leave a few days with no PS - those we either make the day of when we walk in the park, or we had concierge make for us if out of a park - I was just flexible for what time we did our meal.

What I have found is that I have to NOT include dh in all of my planning. I come here to get my fill of Disney talk. I scare DH if I go on and on about what we will be doing in 7 months - here I see people talking about next Spring Break!

Btw, where are you in IL? That is where we are from originally and most of our family is still there!

 

[newtodisney]

Unless your DH really loves counter food, you have to plan your parks so you can make PS's. I don't think the grandparents will love standing in line, meal after meal eating burger after burger. The meals can be a big part of the trip, certainly adding to the whole experience. If you don't know when you will be in each park you will be scrambling each day to find a place to eat, and all the good places will most likely be at capacity. Otherwise you will be putting in your name and sitting around for an hour waiting.

Good luck.

 

[mickeysaver]

If ever there was a trip time at WDW that required some sort of a plan in order to assure that you get to see and do things without stress or disappointment, it's during the time you plan on being there. I say make you plan and just ask for him to give you 2 days to show him that you can do this and make it fun. Then, in the plan allow for day 3 to be an open day more or less. Let him see just how little you get done without the plan. Trust me, the plan will be back in action on day 4. lol Maggie

 

[iluvtink]

I think you should drag your DH to the computer screen and make him take 5 minutes to read the responses to your questions. Tell him to ask around and find one person who has gone to WDW during a busy time without any idea of when or where they would eat, and ask if they might do things differently next time. I'd bet money he couldn't find one Disney vet who would go again without at least PS's for a few meals! I relied too heavily on the UG to WDW on our first family trip, and part of the time it worked great, and part of the time it was a disaster because I was so intent on following the UG plan to go here, ride this, go there, see that, that I made my family miserable. Plan which park you're going to when, where you will eat, and list the things your family absolutely MUST see and do, then remember to be flexible. I don't see how anyone could ever "do it all" unless they stayed for a couple of months.... hmm... wish I could afford to do that! Have a fun time planning.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Last August my DH thought I was over planning our trip way too much and making too many PS's. We hadn't been there in several years. This year he's so happy that I'm making all the PS's because he now knows that when you go with little ones (3, 5 and 6) you can't over plan!